Had I Gone
by cooliochick5
Summary: "He had to be somewhere in this odd, odd place and if I knew him as well as I thought I did, he was probably still alive, planning an escape in his, well, I always pictured it as a brick cell with water dripping from the ceiling. It just seemed to fit his character." Smellerbee's thoughts after Jet is arrested.


_**Smellerbee's P.O.V:**_

If someone had told me when I first joined the Freedom Fighters that I would one day be stuck on a ferry with our yahoo leader,Jet, and the silent archer, Longshot, heading to Ba Sing Se as refugees, I would've told them to go shove it; I would've told Jet all about it too and he probably would've laughed his crazy self into hysteria. Just the very thought sounded absolutely stupid, us three being on a ferry with hoards of people lower than we were on the food chain, heading for a city full of people, who were so high above us, we couldn't reach them even if we had a ladder. It would have all sounded so bizarre at the time, and yet, here we are, on our way to Ba Sing Se.

It had only been three weeks since Jet disbanded the Freedom Fighters; it was sad, almost, to watch groups stagger in different directions as if the idea of living somewhere other than a tree had never crossed their minds or had long since been forgotten, and now, Jet was telling them that it's what they needed to do. One by one, they left in their makeshift parties until only Longshot, Jet, and I remained.

* * *

I should have ran with them. I should've gotten as far away from Jet as I possible could; I should have followed The Duke and Pipsqueak or even Sneers, Hell, Longshot and I could have fared well on our own; We've proved ourselves these last few days after Jet had been arrested. Even without our crazy leader, we were getting along just fine.

Actually, had we not gone with Jet, I'm sure our lives would be just as they are now.

Longshot had found a job at a butcher shop just beyond the realm of the Lower Ring almost a week into our stay in Ba Sing Se. He got up earlier than I did (just before sunrise, if my concept of time was anything to go off of these days) and wouldn't return home until the sun had sunk just behind the walls of the city, casting shadows across the items in our kitchen. He looked a lot more tired than I ever remember seeing him, even more tired than when he would take up Sneers' watch when the idiot was too busy goofing off to prepare for his post, but I couldn't complain about it too much; we had money that we never thought we'd have and a small 'apartment' (or a large room, however you want to see it) that Jet had left us in.

When Longshot was away at work, I was out looking for Jet. Well, I was more so looking for answers as to where exactly he had been taken; I never really got anywhere; I'd usually get a door slammed in my face, an old bat yelling from her bedroom window, or a degected 'He's safe with the Da Li'.

It bothered me, actually, spending my days following Jet like I had when the Freedom Fighters were still around. It wasn't fair that the others got to start over and I didn't, but I couldn't leave him if I knew where he was.

He had to be somewhere in this odd, odd place and if I knew him as well as I thought I did, he was probably still alive, planning an escape in his, well, I always pictured it as a brick cell with water dripping from the ceiling. It just seemed to fit his character.

Had I not followed him, I wouldn't have known; wouldn't have been so desperate to know, I should say. I wouldn't be returning home hours after Longshot, throwing my armor into a corner to sleep before dinner even rolled around so I could get up early to continue my search. I wouldn't be worrying. I wouldn't feel so angry...hopeless, more like it.

No, that's not how it would have been at all.

No, Longshot and I would have settled in one of the Earth Kingdom colonies. We would have had a small house just outside some market place with an income that we could live comfortably with. It would have just been the two of us; it had always seemed that way while we lived in the would still get up before me (preferably, after sunrise) and work until the sun disappeared behind the other houses. I wouldn't be searching for Jet, though.

No, I would be off searching for something else.

I haven't worn a dress since the Fire Nation took my village; I think it would be something nice to have...

 ** _Disclaimers: I own nothing._**


End file.
